A weekend trip to Maine, broken down.
First, when it comes to music…
Thanks to the free-trial of Sirius/XM my wife and I are currently in the last month of, our drive both to and from Maine was musically curated by the fine folks of Satellite Radio. This beats CD books, cases of tapes and scrolling through an iPod.
Stations we listened to most frequently:
The Spectrum
Alt Nation
Backspin
Pearl Jam radio
Backspin
The Joint
SiriusU
Comedy Central
Verdict:
We were a little surprised by the number of repeats, especially on AltNation. But we gave them a pass because we were in the car for over eight hours on both days.
Songs of the Trip:
“Royals” Lorde
“If So” Atlas Genius
“Thunder Clatter” Wild Cub
“Supersoaker” Kings of Leon
“Trying to be Cool” Phoenix
“Right Action” Franz Ferdinand
“Hurricane” Ms Mr
“Afraid” Neighbourhood
“If So” was a fan favorite and “Supersoaker” never got old. Both “Hurricane” and “Royals” kind of wore out their welcome. “Thunder Clatter” might have been the most fun. Something to consider: think about how frustrating it most likely was for the Neighbourhood when they were starting out and were just another band playing shitty clubs. You know that no one was spelling their name correctly in club listings and ads. That must have drove the band nuts.
There were two highlights from our brief forays with the Comedy Central station:
1. Jim Gaffigan on McDonald’s…
2. Nick Swardson on teeth-whitening and bombs in airports.
And then, on eating…
Obviously when spending a summer weekend in the lovely state of Maine, a focus will be placed on seafood. Obviously. This emphasis on seafood is given even greater weight when said weekend is spent on the Maine coast.
Top Meals:
1. Jerk Pork Chops, Darby’s in Belfast, Maine.
2. Fish Tacos, Cappy’s Chowder House in Camden, Maine.
3. Lobster dinner, Young’s Lobster Pound in Belfast, Maine.
4. Crispy Fish sandwich, The Porthole in Portland, Maine.
Worst Meal:
We stopped at Subway on the way home. Your local Subway might be delightful. I’ve been to one or two that we’re a shade above not terrible. But without fail, Subways you stop at while traveling are some of the most depressing places on earth. I don’t know if it’s the lighting, the people working there, the people eating there, the subtle smell of mold. It’s hard to pinpoint, but not hard to believe- Subways are depressing. And they’re tricky bastards too. Because they feed you food they claim is healthy. But even if it’s healthy, you don’t feel healthy after. You feel kind of gross, kind of lethargic and kind of dirty. Thankfully you then have the rest of the day in the car to stew in what you’ve done to yourself.
Talking about Beer!
On a list of Things I Like to Do, drinking beers outside in the summer is in the top 3.
Beers of the Weekend:
Shipyard Summer Ale (coincidentally my number 1 favorite beer)
Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA (best label candidate)
Belfast Bay Lobster Ale (no, it does not taste like lobster but yes, it does taste like delicious.)
Shipyard Fuggles IPA
Andrew’s Ruby Pale Ale
Honorable Mention: Sam Adams Light, Blue Moon, Shipyard Export
Purchase of the Weekend…
A new Patriots’ t-shirt, bought like so many sports t-shirts back in the day, at good ol’ Olympia Sports.
Was it more expensive than I thought it’d be? Yes. But was it a necessary purchase? Hell yeah.
After last season’s lost to the Ravens, I came to the conclusion that my current Pats’ t-shirt was bad luck. I needed a new one and once I got a new one, needed to quickly get rid of my old one. Now, having gotten a new Pats’ t-shirt, I feel pretty, pretty good about this upcoming season.
And we’ll wrap up with ocean views…
There was the one from after lunch on Friday at the Porthole in Portland.
And later that day, there was the one from the hotel, the Comfort Inn in Belfast, Maine, which thanks to this view, has to be one of the best Comfort Inns in the country.
The next morning, there was this one from the beach in front of the hotel, enjoyed during coffee…
There was the view while in Camden…
And there was the view in Searsport…
The view of the sunset Sunday night, while ripping a lobster open on the Belfast Bay was a winner…
And finally there was the view in Searsport before we headed home.
Final Take-away from the weekend:
Home will always smell better, taste better and look better. Home will be comforting and home will make you feel that special kind of way only familiarity can make you feel. I don’t live in Maine anymore and it’s doubtful I ever will again. But Maine runs through me. It runs through my blood. Whenever I step foot on it’s soil, I’ll be at ease.
Oh and when Ryan Dempster plunked A Rod, I laughed out loud.
Categories: Travels
Giddy Up America 
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